Chief inspector Pham Tien Dung says that the banned chemical is packed with English labels and vague Vietnamese translation describing it as a ‘growth-promoting steroid for pigs.’

The packaging of additives is identical to a lean-meat additive found by the Environment Crime Police Agency in HCM City on April 10, Dung says.

The chemical will be tested and the result will be made public one week later, the inspector says.

According to the MARD’s officials, information about lean-meat additives is very sensitive so the ministry must be very careful in releasing information about this. The husbandry industry has suffered losses worth over VND3 trillion ($143 million) owing to rumors about lean-meat additives.

On April 10, environmental police seized one ton of banned lean-meat chemical agents at two private firms in Binh Tan District, HCM City.

Earlier, on April 7, police also detected 1.4 tons of lean-meat additives at another firm, also in Binh Tan district, HCM City.

On March 12, Dong Nai authorities found nearly 2.5 tons of lean-meat additives at the warehouse of a private company in Vinh Cuu district.